This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Feature
The benefits of guest bartending
Taking part in guest slots at overseas bars is an excellent way for bartenders to explore new cultures and hone their skill set. Annie Hayes speaks to people who have benefitted from a career well-travelled.
*This feature was originally published in the October 2017 issue of The Spirits Business
‘Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow,’ wrote novelist Anita Desai; a quote that becomes quite pertinent when considered from the perspective of a modern bartender.
Pursuing a semi-nomadic lifestyle is commonplace in the on-trade, and for good reason. Whether it’s a one-night popup or a fully-fledged residency, guest shifts bring myriad benefits to both bartender and bar.
Seasoned traveller Rich Hunt, owner of London hangout Mint Gun Club, is a huge advocate of working overseas: “I think every bartender should work abroad for a good part of their career,” he enthuses. “In the same way that travelling in your everyday life broadens your horizons and improves your skills, the same is true, amplified, in a bartending capacity because you’ve got so much face time with people.”
The opportunity to get to grips with an unfamiliar drinking culture also brings alien ingredients, unusual customs and fresh faces – a breeding ground for inspired thinking.
Zdenek Kastanek, of 28 HongKong Street, Crackerjack and its concept space, Junior, all in Singapore, says residencies and popups boost creativity – especially for those who have moved on from slinging drinks daily.
“Travel makes you a better person, a better host and a better barkeep,” he explains. “These experiences overseas and exposure to other bartenders’ styles, different ways of running their bars and methods of making drinks definitely influence the way you think about your style, the way you run your bar, the way you make drinks and your interactions with your guests.”
At the same time, working away from home can serve to strip the role back to its fundamentals, too. “It’s made me more aware of how making people happy is the key function of a bartender,” says Philip Duff, founder of bar-and-beverage consultancy Liquid Solutions. “Drinks are just one way to achieve that.” The benefits are not exclusively reaped by the bartender. Singapore’s Tippling Club regularly hosts a guest-bartender-event series, called Once Upon a Time.
In recent months the team has invited the likes of Shingo Gokan of New York’s Speak Low, and Dominic Whisson of The American Bar at The Savoy in London to take to the shaker. For head bartender Joe Schofield, the programme is “a great way to expose the team to different thought processes, styles and techniques”.
Yugnes Susela, of Singapore’s Smoke and Mirrors
LIFE LESSONS
But back to the bartender. To make the most of the experience, exploring the country’s on-trade culture before making a drink is key. “It’s more important – and effective – to learn how things work locally, rather than charging in and trying to put your own stamp on things from day one,” warns Duff.
Peter Chua, head barman at Crackerjack and Junior, agrees. He treats humility as a skill, because “you have to learn it and continually practise it. Being able to stay humble allows you to see that there is always something better than what you know or have, and that drives you to work even harder,” Chua explains. “It’s easy to get caught up in your own bubble of success and lose sight of the bigger picture.”
Chua says bartending around the world has helped him better understand his guests and has, in turn, allowed him to create a better customer experience. “For example, the reason why Indian nationals are particular about ice in their drinks is due to the unsanitary conditions of ice in some parts of India,” he elaborates.
Working in different countries also brings new soft skills – such as snap decision-making. “In some countries if you ask for lime, you get an artificial lime concentrate rather than actual lime juice,” he adds. “You quickly learn to be able to improvise or find new methods to achieve what you want.”
Rich Hunt, of Mint Gun Club, London
Yugnes Susela, head bartender at Singapore’s Smoke & Mirrors, says consumers in each country have different wants, needs and preferences. While bartenders have the opportunity to “break their own boundaries” in terms of creativity, they must also be adaptable. “Some audiences may not be comfortable with the drinks you’re offering, so you have to learn to change your drinks there and then,” Susela says. He recalls altering a cocktail in Barcelona after being told it was too strong. “With each trip, I learn more and more about performing to different crowds, and my presentation style has definitely improved.”
Travel also opens up opportunities for bartenders to expand their technical abilities. Tippling Club‘s Schofield recalls learning to use block ice in Japan. “I was taught a special technique by the bartenders I met there and that was something that I was never trained on even after a decade in the industry,” he explains. “This is something I use every day.”
But how do bartenders secure guest spots? First, says Hunt: “Go to a big city with a vibrant cocktail scene. You’ll meet people from all over the world. Take part in cocktail competitions – that’s a great way to travel.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
Duff recommends connecting with the bar community in other countries through social media, and networking at festivals such as Tales of the Cocktail and Bar Convent Berlin. Investing in reputation is imperative for aspiring globetrotters. “Focus on doing noteworthy things in your own bar and publicising them,” he adds. “You’d be surprised how many offers to travel will come in once you’ve made a name for yourself.”
Before his time at Tippling Club, which is inundated with requests for guest spots, Schofield sought opportunities in his personal time. “When I was on a holiday trip I tried to organise a guest shift,” he says. “I invested a lot of time and money in doing guest bartending shifts wherever I went.”
Timo Janse, bar manager at Amsterdam’s Door 74, offers practical advice: “For the love of God, answer your emails! One step into a different country can offer many more in the future so grab every opportunity, no matter how small.”